


Here Comes The Sun

by randomfandomimagine



Series: Here Comes The Sun [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Original Character(s), Other, Supernatural Spoilers, i lost motivation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-08-29 18:03:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomfandomimagine/pseuds/randomfandomimagine
Summary: After the events of last night, Brooke is introduced to the Winchester brothers, and agrees to go with them to their home. In the bunker, she's introduced to a friend of theirs, and she must face the traumatic events she went through.





	1. Hero of the Day

Another day, another shift at the store. While the routine was kind of mind-numbing, the many different faces of strangers was somewhat refreshing.  
I absently played with my necklace as I waited for any new customers to arrive. I had literally nothing else to do to kill time while I did – I had organized the shelves, counted the money on the cash register and braided my long hair several times now out of boredom.  
Just as I thought about this, the door opened and the sound of the welcoming bell ringing filled the establishment. I turned to see a short man walking in, and he dedicated me an extroverted grin that I reciprocated as best as I could.  
“Good evening, sir!”  
“Hi there”  
I observed him as he walked around the store, his green eyes wandering around the shelves without interest. Then he made a beeline for the chocolate bars as soon as he saw them and began piling them up on his arms. I smiled a little at the sight. Then he walked over to me and dropped all the sweets on the glass counter. That was fast!  
Noticing I was staring in amusement, he brushed his slightly long brown hair back and held my glance.  
“You do know that Halloween just passed, don’t you, sir?” I grinned as I picked up a plastic bag and began putting the bars inside, counting them.  
“I have a bit of a sweet tooth” He simply replied, already opening one of them.  
“I can see that” I chuckled, shoving the last one inside the bag and mentally counting the one he was now eating as well. “It’ll be ten thirty, please”  
“Nice weather, huh?” The man casually asked, getting his wallet out and sifting through the bills. “A little cold, but still nice”  
“Yeah!” I gladly contributed to the small talk. “The clouds are fading, it looks like the sky will be clear in a few hours”  
“I don’t think so” He wrinkled his nose in disagreement, picking out a twenty dollar bill and handing it to me. “I think there’s a big storm coming”  
I curiously watched him as I took the money and saved it in the cash register. Then I briefly looked over my shoulder to the window behind me, noticing the blue sky, almost rid of any clouds. When I turned back to him, he was grinning.  
“Keep the change, sweetheart” Winking an eye at me, he held out his hand, so I gave him his bag full of chocolate bars.  
I opened my mouth and tried to reply with something, even if a bit taken aback by his familiarity. But he was already saving his wallet and moving on.  
“T-Thank you for your purchase!” I finally said, forgetting about the odd weather chat. “Please come again!”  
“Bye, Brooke” He said as he walked out the door, triggering the bell once more.  
I frowned at the mention of my name, wondering how he knew. I never told him.  
But I chuckled, feeling a little silly, when I remembered about my name tag. Not that I remembered him actually looking at it, but he must have without me realizing. Otherwise, how would he know?  
Trying to forget about that strange interaction, I got back to playing with my necklace while waiting for someone else to come. The store was usually really calm, and except for random people coming to satisfy their cravings or buying a necessary item last minute, my shifts were pretty uneventful.  
I honestly preferred having a breather in this small convenience store than working at the busy supermarket, which was usually way too frantic for my liking. I was kinda relieved any day they didn’t call me to ask me to fill an absence there, I was surely glad that it was something unusual.  
The welcoming bell announced another client, so I stood up straight and prepared my friendly smile to greet the customer, but it wasn’t an ordinary customer. I nervously aligned all items in the counter as the man in the suit walked in like he owned the place, not really looking at me. Well, the joke is that he actually owned the place.  
“Uh… Mr. Collins?” I timidly spoke up, noticing he held a cellphone to his ear. My boss finally turned to me, not even bothering to move his phone away. “Could I please talk to you for a moment, sir?”  
“Not now” He just said, continuing on his way to his office. Or well, the storage room that happened to double as his office.  
I watched him in silence until he walked in and closed the door behind him, his voice sounding muffled when he responded to the person on the phone.  
Indecisive, I bit my bottom lip and drummed my nails against the glass counter. After a few seconds in which I thought twice several times, I convinced myself to do it and left my position behind the counter, walking with determination to his office and knocking on his door as I mentally went over what I wanted to say.  
A sigh come from inside and the talking stopped until his voice was heard again.  
“Hang on, the orphan wants to talk to me” He said in exasperation.  
I frowned when that word uttered aloud always brought a stabbing pain to my heart. He could have easily said something different, like ‘girl’ or ‘employee’ or… I don’t know, anything else. But he had to use that word, almost with contempt.  
“Come on in…” As he reluctantly invited me in, I forced a smile and obliged.  
I stared at him for a moment, watching his expensive suit and his brand new phone. Even if he was just the owner of a small convenience store in a suburbs neighbor, he had to do things like those or buy his workers unnecessary name tags. I didn’t want to… judge him, despite being rude sometimes, but I just…  
“What is it?” He rushed me, tapping the watch on his wrist.  
“Oh! I, uh… wanted to ask for a raise, if that would be possible” I gulped as I made a pause, trying to control my nerves and trying not to think about the possible no. “I have been working here for a while now and I could use the money. Please, sir, I would really appreciate it”  
Mr. Collins rolled his eyes and stared at me for a moment before finally speaking up.  
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, young lady” With a petulant gesture, he waved his hand in the air and asked me to leave.  
“I see, okay…” I gave him a polite nod and smile. “Thank you for your time, have a nice day”  
And with that I exited the office, walking back to my usual place behind the counter. I sighed as I picked up my necklace and carried on fiddling with it, inevitably waiting for any new customers that might come. 

 

Closing time meant that I got to return home, have some delicious dinner and huddle under a warm and cozy blanket. I was looking forward to that, leaving another monotonous day at work behind, especially since it was still tiring.  
I walked into the dark streets and looked up to the starry sky, buttoning my jean jacket to shelter myself from the night breeze. Huh, who would have known, that man was right – it seemed like there would be a storm, the clouds seemed to have gathered again.  
Wanting to arrive home as soon as possible, I made haste, walking a bit fast. I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets, trying to decide what I could have for dinner.  
I suddenly yelped when the loud sound of thunder echoed around me, surprisingly close. I kept walking, hurrying myself even more to get home before the storm worsened and it started raining. I didn’t like thunderstorms that much either, they made me nervous.  
I continued walking, picking up my pace and getting startled every time a thunder echoed in the sky. It sounded so close, oddly enough almost like it was at ground level.  
Wanting to get away from it as soon as possible, I started actually running. I jogged around the mostly empty streets as they were brightly illuminated by the light of the thunderstorm.  
I stopped dead in my tracks, however, when a big lightning and thunder fell, so close by that I yelped very loudly. My whole body got overwhelmed with goosebumps and I was suddenly breathing heavily and shuddering. It had fell so close! Almost like it was surrounding me, like it could actually reach me.  
“Okay, that was weird…” I nervously chuckled, trying to calm down. “But it’s okay, I’m okay, it’s just a storm…“  
I told myself that several times as I made my way back home, briskly jogging when it started pouring with rain. Truth was, I had never been more scared about a thunderstorm before. 

 

After that strange day, the next one wasn’t any better. It rained again, which ruined my mood a bit, and I was exhausted after spending the entire night having nightmares. There was no activity in the convenience store at all, and the monotony brought the apathy. I told myself that I was going through a rough patch, that things would get better and tomorrow would be a better day after those bad couple of days.  
On my way back home, I was hoping nothing strange happened like the other night. Ever since then, I had felt restless and I couldn’t quite explain why. Maybe a combination of that strange man who against all odds predicted the weather and the actual frightening thunderstorm that nearly reached me with one of its lightning. But it would pass, it was just temporary.  
I continued walking around the dim-lit streets as I did every day, only the far light of the tall lamp posts illuminating my way. Yet my heart raced at the sudden noise of voices in the alley I was passing by the entrance of. By the sound of it, someone was struggling. Could they be in trouble?  
I looked around, noticing no one else was paying attention to it. I wondered if I should call the police. I thought about leaving too, but I just couldn’t keep walking! What if they needed help?!  
I suddenly jolted up when a nerve-wrecking screech diverted my attention back to the alley. They were definitely in trouble, I couldn’t just stand there! Even if I called the police, they would never make it on time to help. I had to do something!  
Before I could consciously send the order to my brain to move, I was already on the way. I ran at full speed, shakily sinking my hands in my pockets in search for any kind of weapon in case I needed it. The closest thing I could find was my keys, which I tightly held on to, blindly trying to find the sharpest end.  
As I immersed myself in the dark alleyway, I froze at the scene before me. Two men were cornering a blond girl against the wall while she struggled to escape. The sight made the blood boil in my veins.  
“Hey!!” I said, much louder than I intended, gathering their attention.  
I gulped, taking a step back, when the men’s dark black eyes settled on me. My bottom lip was trembling, but I clenched my jaw and tried to appear brave.  
My hand was clutching on to the keys inside my pockets so tightly that they were painfully digging in my skin. With my free hand, I subtly motioned for the girl to run while I distracted them.  
Her light green eyes widened with realization and she began running at top speed, whispering a thank you as she passed me by. I was about to follow, but I found myself being mesmerized by their strange eyes. I couldn’t stop staring at them… They were of an unnatural deep shade of black that stirred something within me.  
When I finally snapped out of it, and before I could try and escape, they were next to me. I yelped, walking back as my mind frantically tried to process it. How did they move so fast?! They were suddenly right next to me when a few meters separated us before. How was that possible?!  
“What do we have here?” One of them said, eyeing me up and down in a way that made me deeply uncomfortable.  
I felt my hand shaking in my pocket as I hesitated, trying to think whether I should use my ‘weapon’ or not. I didn’t really want to hurt anyone, but I could be the one getting hurt if I didn’t.  
“A kid playing hero, huh?” The other followed along, extremely close to me.  
My breath hitched in my throat when they held me by the arms, making it impossible to use my hands now. I struggled, trying to get them off me, but they were incredibly strong. Surprisingly strong, even for two grown men, as their hands felt like iron claws on my forearms.  
I hadn’t thought this through. I was very glad that the girl was safe now, and maybe she would bring some help. But I hadn’t stopped to think how I would get myself out of that mess.  
“Help!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone could hear me.  
My heart was beating even faster than before, so loudly that it echoed in my ears. That frantic feeling only made me panic even more. Their unexpected amused laughter caused a lump in my throat.  
I screamed when I took a good look at them. Their teeth… those… Those weren’t teeth, they were like fangs! An entire row of sharp teeth like… like sharks. Equally sharp and intimidating.  
A new scream tore from my throat when he reached forward, getting his mouth dangerously close to my neck. I crazily fought against them, trying to break free from their grasp on me as their sharp teeth got closer to my skin, but it was all in vail. They were much stronger than me.  
The teeth painfully graced my neck as I struggled like crazy. Everything felt like chaos – my breathing came in pants, my heart was beating so fast that it pulsated in my temple and a complete panic had taken over me. And then it all suddenly stopped.  
The pain in my neck disappeared, and I felt them releasing me. I opened my eyes, just then realizing I had closed them tight, and saw something that made me cover my mouth with my hands in horror and scream against them, for the third time within a minute.  
The man’s head fell off his neck and into the ground. His limp body followed soon after. Something shone under the moonlight, which I realized was a machete. The head had been chopped off with a clean cut.  
The other one ran away, freeing me completely. More footsteps followed, and a voice broke the silence of the night.  
“I’ll get the other, stay with her!” Yelled a raspy voice as the footsteps grew further from me.  
I was shaking from head to toe, lost in my thoughts and my terror as I tried to make sense of what was happening. My body and mind felt numb and my stomach became queasy.  
“Hey” A deep voice startled me just as two hands gently fell over my arms. “Hey, are you okay?”  
“H-Huh?” I replied groggily, trying to focus on the green eyes that stared at me.  
“Are you okay?” He insisted, this time slower, carefully helping me to my feet. I hadn’t even realized I had fallen, but my knees did find it difficult to hold my weight.  
“I… I-I think so…” I breathed out, trying to even out my breaths.  
“It’s okay, you’re safe now” His hands kindly rubbed my arms in an up and down motion.  
“W-What happened?”  
“Don’t worry, they’re gone now, it’s alright”  
I took a few deep breaths to calm my speeding heart and looked at the man before me, trying to focus on something that wasn’t my state of panic. He was very tall, with broad shoulders. His hair was brown, long up to his shoulders and combed so it fell over the sides of his face. I took notice of his green eyes again, they held great kindness that brought me some sort of comfort.  
I gulped, closing my eyes for a moment to keep breathing before I could hyperventilate. His hands never left my arms, and he shook me softly.  
“Hey, look at me” I opened my eyes and did my best to hold his stare. “What’s your name?”  
“Br-Brooke…”  
“Okay, Brooke, you need to tell me… Did you drink his blood?”  
“W-What? I don’t understand…”  
“I know it’s weird, but can you answer the question?”  
“N-No… I don’t think I did… No, I… I didn’t”  
“Good” He let out an awkward chuckle that felt out of place.  
The stranger gently patted my arm and straightened up, taking a quick look around him. The alleyway was now calm and quiet, almost like I hadn’t just been attacked.  
“You…” I gulped when my eyes fell over the ground, watching the lifeless head there, sitting in a puddle of crimson blood, with wide-open eyes. “You cut that man’s head off…”  
My stomach painfully turned at the sight, so I looked away with a grimace. I… I couldn’t even believe what was happening! I felt like I was watching a movie, like that wasn’t really happening to me. It… It couldn’t be…  
“It… I know but… It’s not what it looks like” The man answered awkwardly.  
I shook my head, losing focus again. I wasn’t feeling so good. My head was spinning.  
My hand weakly fell over my neck once the adrenaline slightly wore off and I felt a mild pain there. Just in the spot that connects to the shoulder, my skin had been violently scratched and blood was gushing from it. I didn’t want to look at it, but feeling the crimson liquid made me sick enough already. Even more than I was before.  
“H-Help me…” I only managed to whisper, as my voice was too quiet. I felt myself falling as the world turned dark.


	2. Hunters of the Supernatural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of last night, Brooke is introduced to the Winchester brothers, and agrees to go with them to their home. In the bunker, she's introduced to a friend of theirs, and she must face the traumatic events she went through.

Soft rock music. A constant noise in the background. Light shining in my face.  
I slightly bounced with movement around me. I winced as I wished everything stayed still, that the world stopped spinning around me. My stomach felt queasy and weak. My brain worked slowly, trying to understand my surroundings as my eyes remained closed. Light still shone on my face, which I could only assume was the sun, judging by its warmth. That sound in the background was familiar, but I couldn’t quite remember what it was, my mind was too foggy still.   
Everything came to a halt all of a sudden and the movement stopped. I jumped in place with a sudden noise. A door had closed, a car door. That must have been the familiar sound, an engine running. The engine of a car.   
I opened my eyes and found myself in the backseat of the car, my head lolled to the side over the top of the seat, which was covered in black leather, worn-out yet clean and looked after. As I looked around, I saw the inside of the car was cream colored.   
Giving myself a moment, I focused on taking deep breaths. Until a movement at the corner of my eye warned me that I wasn’t alone.   
The man sitting on the copilot seat quickly turned his head to me when I yelped and hurried out of the car. As soon as I stood, my knees buckled under my weight and everything started spinning around me again, so I had to hold on to the roof of the car not to fall.  
“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay!” He was already out himself, towering over me with his tall stature.   
“Where am I?!” I exclaimed, fearing that he meant to hurt me and shoving him away from me. The burly man barely moved. “Who are…?”   
My strengths failed me and I felt myself falling as I was hit with a strong dizzy spell.   
“Whoa, whoa” Two strong arms caught me. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you”   
I was breathing heavily, closing my eyes tight as the world still spun around me.   
“What…?” I feebly began, but was too weak to finish my sentence.   
“I’m here to help” He held me by the shoulders and straightened me up, gently leaning my back against the side of the car. “My name’s Sam Winchester, I’m with my brother Dean”   
I nodded, appreciating that he introduced himself. I took a moment to recover and looked up at him when I felt a little more stable. He was watching me nervously, his arms outstretched in case I faltered again.  
“I’m… Brooke” I managed a weak smile. “Brooke Bishop”   
“Are you okay?” He frowned, his eyes laced with concern.  
“Wait…” I knew those kind green eyes. “I remember you… You-you saved me!”   
“Well, yeah, I guess so” He chuckled awkwardly, briefly holding my arm just in case as I repositioned myself against the car.   
“Take it easy, okay?” Despite being a big guy with a deep voice, there was an incredibly softness to him. “You went through a lot last night”   
“Last night?!” I repeated as my slow dazed mind made the connection that the sun being out meant it was day. “It was night and now it’s day! I was out for a while, wasn’t I?”   
“Yeah” He nodded, frowning in an empathetic expression. “Are you feeling better?”   
I took a deep breath as I absently scratched my neck there where it itched. I found with a small bandage that, when I looked at it, I realized was stained with blood. The sight made me completely aware of how I got it, what happened last night. I remembered it vividly.   
“Y-Yeah, I think so… Thanks for saving me” I looked up at him, trying to remember his name. “Sam, was it?”   
“That’s right” Sam softly smiled at me, a kind and comforting gesture. “And no problem”  
I reciprocated the gesture, his smile only widening in response. I trusted him, he seemed like a good man. And he had saved me and helped me, not to mention being incredibly calm and sweet for my sake.  
“Do you wanna sit down? My brother will be back soon” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the small convenience store behind him. Wow, my last shift at the store felt like ages ago…  
I nodded, weakly leaning on the car. Sam was nice enough to open the door for me, so I smiled to thank him and got in. once I was inside, he closed it behind me and occupied his spot at the copilot seat once more.   
“S-Sam?” I called him, making him turn his body toward me as he listened intently. “Where are we going?”   
“Home, you’ll be safe in there, and you can stay until you get back on your feet”   
I nodded, grateful to have run into him and his brother. I looked away, but I still felt Sam staring as I put my arms around myself and leaned my head against the top of the seat.   
“You’re shaking” He muttered, stirring in the seat. “Are you cold?”   
“No” I replied, and I wasn’t lying. Sam must have known what that meant, because he immediately took his jacket off and offered it to me.   
“Here, put it on” Seeing as I took a moment to move, he insisted.  
“T-Thank you…!” I muttered in awe as I accepted it and put it on, genuinely moved by the gesture. The jacket, even if it was a few sizes bigger, felt warm and nice, and the light weight felt comforting.   
Sam smiled at me once more before turning back around, even if he quickly looked at me in the reflection of the rear view mirror.   
The door by the driver’s seat suddenly opened and then closed again as someone joined us inside the car.  
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty is up!” A man with short hair and green eyes turned to me with a grin. “Mornin’! How you holding up?”  
“Better” I mumbled as I observed him, imagining that was… Dean, I think he said was his name.   
He passed a plastic bag to his brother, which he put by his feet. The two of them turned to look at me, but it was Dean who spoke up again.   
“Want us to call anyone? Tell them where you are?”   
“No… I don’t really have anyone, it’s just me…”   
An uncomfortable silence established for a few seconds, but Dean cleared his throat and drummed his fingers against the top of the seat before he spoke up again.  
“Okay” He started the engine, getting comfortable in the seat before he began driving. “I have a question, kid. We saw a girl running away from that alley, did you save her?”  
“Y-Yeah… I guess… I just heard her screaming and… wanted to help her” I shrugged under Sam’s oversized jacket.   
“That was really brave, Brooke” Sam smiled at me again.   
“Yeah, really heroic…” His brother said, his voice dripping sarcasm. “Or really freaking stupid…”   
“Right” The other rolled his eyes at his words and looked at me again. “Well, I think it was brave, not everyone would have done the same thing”   
“Because some are smart and actually run away from the danger” The driver’s eyes never left the road, but they briefly meet with me through the rear view mirror.   
“But… you didn’t” I stupidly mumbled, confused that he was telling me off for something he had done himself.   
“That’s right” He grinned, glancing at me again through the mirror. “Are you calling me stupid?”   
“No! I didn’t mean…” I stopped talking when I realized he was smiling, and I did too. Those guys weren’t so bad. “Well, I’m glad that you were stupid enough to save me”   
The silence settled during the rest of the car ride, but the driver filled it with some music as he raised the volume of the radio.

 

I was relieved when we arrived and Dean stopped the car. I was starting to eat my head with what happened last night. A little voice at the back of my head screamed at me to stop being so stupid and admit to myself the truth of what really happened. But it just couldn’t be, it was too farfetched and wild to be real. Yet those events still occupied my mind.   
I followed Sam and Dean out of the car as they approached the front of a low building with a big metallic door, surrounded by a circle of red bricks and an arch. It kinda resembled a bunker. Walking in after them, I was received with a spacious and inviting place.   
Looking down from the top of a metallic staircase, I saw a room with a big table showcasing a world map. I watched the cool table and the chairs as I stepped down the stairs, realizing Sam and Dean were already down. Connected to this room was a library, even bigger than the room before it, furnished with countless shelves and a few square wooden tables with their respective wooden chairs.   
“Wow” I exhaled in awe. “This place is awesome!”   
“Home, sweet home” Dean grinned, motioning over to it with his arms. “Pretty cool, right?”   
“Yeah!”   
“Well, make yourself at home, um… I didn’t catch your name”   
“Brooke”   
“Make yourself at home, Brooke”   
“Thanks”   
I let my eyes wander around the spacious area, noticing the entrance to a long corridor that made me wonder what it led to, what other cozy and organized rooms were there.   
Hearing their heavy footsteps around the room, I suddenly felt the need to talk to them, to ask them the many questions that were swimming in my thoughts, that haunted me and assaulted me over and over again.   
“Sam, Dean?” They immediately turned to me, expectant. “Do you think you could tell me… Those men… They weren’t actually men, were they?”   
They exchanged a glance between them before settling their eyes on me again. The both of them tensed up a little, and Dean crossed his arms over his chest as he replied.  
“You saw something?”   
“Yeah… A row of sharp teeth like… fangs?”   
Sam and Dean exchanged yet another glance, this one more restless than the other.   
“Please tell me what they were” I gulped, feeling my heart beating in anticipation.  
“I think she has the right to know…” Sam shrugged, even if his head tilt showed he was reluctant.  
“Do you really wanna know?” Dean stared at me with a frown. “It’s pretty messed up”   
“I do, I… I can’t stop thinking about it…” I sighed, locking eyes with their green ones. “Please”   
“You might… wanna sit down” Sam anxiously passed a hand through his face and leaned on the table.   
They paused as I sat down, and the tension formed a lump in my throat. I watched them frowning and looking at each other but for the first time their eyes wouldn’t meet with mine.   
“W-Well?” I asked with a shaky voice.   
“You’re right, they weren’t men” Dean turned to me, bearing a grave yet slightly stern expression. “They were vampires”   
I chuckled briefly, thinking for a moment that they were joking. But they didn’t laugh, on the contrary, they appeared as serious as ever. I… Golly, I didn’t know how to react… What to say, what to do…   
“Vampires…” I felt slightly light-headed, so I blinked repeatedly trying to shake the feeling away. “Is…? Is that why you cut his head off?”   
“Yeah, it’s the only way to kill them” Dean replied, still very serious.  
Even though it was as farfetched and wild as I had thought when the possibility that they might be monsters popped up in my head before they confirmed it, it was… logical? It was a rational explanation, it made sense out of their fangs and their… hunger.   
I had many more questions, even if I was conflicted that I was willing to believe vampires were real. How could that make sense? It was fricking insane!   
“And that’s why you asked if I drank his blood?” I turned to Sam, who nodded briefly.  
“You would turn into one if you did” His words made me gasp. I paused, letting my finger trace over the bandage on my neck.  
“But… I’m okay, right?” I gulped just thinking about the horrible possibilities. “He bit me and…”   
“Luckily for you, he just scratched you, didn’t even drink your blood” Dean shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Even if he did, you would be safe unless you drank its blood”   
“Oh…” I just muttered, shrinking into the chair. I felt so incredibly tired all of a sudden.  
I frowned as I tried to take the information in. Vampires were real, and I had just encountered some of them. They had attacked me, and they could have drunk my blood, I could have become one of them, they could have killed me! If it weren’t for Sam and Dean, I could have died.  
But the fact that things such as vampires existed and…  
A wave of nausea hit me as I was hit with a terrible realization.   
“Wait” I stood from my seat and paused to watch Sam. “Does that mean other things are real too?! O-Other ‘supernatural’ creatures?”   
“Yup” Dean replied instead, sighing tiredly. “Werewolves, shapeshifters, demons… you name it”   
I felt myself shaking like a leaf again, thankful that Sam’s thick jacket was still over me. Even if it didn’t help when tears threatened to arrive to my eyes. Or when my stomach got in knots.   
“B-But you…” It suddenly got very hard to order my thoughts and form a coherent sentence. “You knew that, right? And you didn’t run away”   
“It’s kind of what we do, we’re hunters” Sam shrugged even if he wasn’t too convincing on his carefree attitude.   
“You’re… hunters of the supernatural?”   
“Yeah… It’s a lot, right?”   
“We warned you, kid” Dean’s stern scowl suddenly softened slightly.   
“Yeah, but… No, I’m… I’m okay” I assured, taking a deep breath and averting my eyes, staring at my red converse.   
“Are you sure?” Came Sam’s deep voice. “Do you need anything?”   
“I… Could I… take a shower or something? I need to… I don’t know, I…” I chuckled awkwardly, needing an excuse to be alone and genuinely feeling like a shower could do me some good. “If that’s alright, I…”   
“Yeah, sure” Sam dedicated me an empathic smile, pointing to my neck. “And we should change your bandage later. You’ll feel better in no time”   
I nodded and let Sam put a hand over my shoulder as he accompanied me over to the corridor to show me where the bathroom was. However, even before we could walk into the hallway, someone appeared from the depths of it, startling me.   
“I thought I heard you coming back!” A boy was standing before us, smiling at Sam and Dean.  
I observed the boy curiously, mesmerized by the pure and innocent look in his expression. He had light brown hair, combed so one side fell over his soft blue eyes, which just then landed over me as he noticed me next to Sam. The boy seemed confused and surprised for a moment, but then he smiled at me.  
“Hello!” He waved at me, so I reciprocated the gesture. “I’m Jack”  
“Jack, this is Brooke” Sam gently patted my shoulder, then looking down to me and pointing at him. “Jack’s staying with us too”   
“So she’s staying here?” The boy asked, watching me curiously too.  
“Yeah, she was attacked by some vamps” Dean added behind us.   
There was a silence in the room as the boy let the news sink in. He frowned sadly and looked down to the ground. Sam cleared his throat to break the tension.  
“C’mon, Brooke” When I looked up at him, he was dedicating me a comforting smile. “I’ll show you where everything is” 

 

After the shower I felt a little better. I washed that feeling of filth off me, and the warm water helped me stop shivering. It was also great feeling clean after that ordeal, and having some time alone to assimilate everything. I kind of wanted to cry to let out all that pent up tension and anguish, but I wasn’t able to. I guessed I was a bit in shock still.   
I quickly went to see Sam and Dean before I went to the room Sam showed me, the one I would be staying in. They changed my bandage and I thanked them for the clothes they lent me, for letting me stay there and for everything really. They had been incredible, and the fact that their job was to save people and go against monsters was just amazing. Sam and Dean were one of a kind.   
However, as soon as I walked into my room and closed the door behind me, I felt like a weight was suddenly crushing me. I was about to face a night alone, which included the inevitable memories of what happened rushing back to me, not to mention the possibility of nightmares. I also felt insecure, like any of those supernatural creatures that, I now knew roamed freely around the world, could get to me. No matter how safe I felt in the bunker, especially knowing Sam and Dean were there too. But the mere thought that any of those creatures was real was so frightening!  
I sat on the bed, shrunk over myself and hugged my knees. The silence was incredibly loud in that empty room. My thoughts seemed to be screaming, reminding me of all the scary things that it could gather. I was exhausted, but I didn’t want to go to sleep, I just… I wouldn’t be able to.   
A sob suddenly shook my shoulders as the tears rolled down my eyes without a warning. I covered my mouth, trying not to make any noise. But I continued crying, hoping that at least it would relief the tension I felt in my chest. That it would chase away my fear.   
A sudden knock on the door startled me, causing me to stop crying.   
“Y-Yes?” The door opened to reveal the boy from before. I had honestly forgotten he was even there in the bunker with us.   
“Hello…” He gravely said, timidly stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.  
“Hey” I quickly wiped my tears and forced a smile.   
“Sam asked me to… check on you”   
“Oh… okay”   
“I thought I heard…. Were you crying?”   
I made pause, considering whether I should lie or not. There was no point, really. So I just admitted it, assuming he would understand I was entitled to cry after what I had been through. After what I discovered. After the horrible last couple of days.   
“Well, yeah…” I finally said, causing a pronounced frown to appear on his face.  
Then there was an uncomfortable pause, filled with an awkward silence.  
“Are you okay?” Jack finally asked me, staring at me with such intensity that I looked away.  
“Yeah… Yeah, I just…” I paused for a moment, heaving a sigh. “I needed to… you know, vent a little”  
I chuckled to relief the tension and sniffled through my nose, watching him with the corner of my eye. He just stood there, watching me still. After a moment, he took a step closer to the bed.   
“I understand” He nodded, sober as all his movements seemed to be. “If you need anything…”   
“I’ll be fine, I guess… Thanks, um…”   
“Jack”   
“Right, sorry” I awkwardly chuckled. “Don’t take it personal, Jack, I’m usually great with names. It’s just that learning about vampires and werewolves and all, lately it’s hard to focus on other things”   
“It’s okay” He insisted, vehemently nodding. His voice was incredibly soft and comforting. There was something about that boy, something pure and bright. I didn’t even know him, but I was glad that he was there with us… somehow.  
“So what’s your story?” I wiped the remaining of my tears and scooted to the edge of the bed, closer to him.  
“It’s…” Jack frowned, finally averting his eyes. “Complicated”   
“Does it have to do with all this supernatural stuff?”   
“Yes”   
“Then you’re right, I don’t want to hear it” I heaved a sight. However, when I realized that might have sounded rude, I apologetically waved my hands in the air. “N-No offence, it’s not that I’m not interested! But… I honestly don’t think I can take any more of that right now”   
“No, I… I understand” Jack gulped, but his expression was still soft. “It’s not easy”   
I nodded, definitely agreeing with his words. None of it was easy.   
Having survived a vampire attack, fearing those vampires might come back for me at any moment, being sheltered in an old bunker with three strangers, two of which were hunters of supernatural beings like the ones that attacked me.   
“I…” Jack must have noticed my thoughts were wandering. It was hard for me to focus. “I’m in the other room… if you need anything”   
“Thank you” I smiled, genuinely appreciating the sweet gesture.  
Jack dedicated me a small smile of his own and left the room. I was alone again, which I honestly didn’t know if it was better or worse. I needed some time to think, but I could also start eating my head. I… I knew I would eat my head.  
As the silence filled the room now, I feebly lied down. I knew I wouldn’t fall asleep, but I still tried to close my eyes and relax. Only the faint voices of Sam and Dean could be heard echoing further into the distance of the big bunker.   
I frowned as I wondered what would become of my day to day now. Would I resume my life right where I left it? If so, when? And how could I even go back to living normally after what happened in the first place? How could I live a normal life again after that?


	3. Gimme Shelter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everything that happened, and despite being in a bunker, Brooke struggles to find the feeling of safety that she looks for. It doesn't help that unexpected things keep happening.

Snippets of terrible images flashed before my eyes. Two deep black eyes. Crimson red blood. White sharp teeth. A silver machete.  
I panicked for a few seconds when I opened my eyes and violently sat up. I was lying down in a bed, in a strange room. I focused on slowing my breathing as I tried to remember what happened. Everything slowly came back to me. The black car. The two brothers. The bunker.  
“I’m s-safe” I told myself as I slowly breathed in and out. “I’m safe here, it’s okay…”  
I wasn’t alone either. I was with Sam and Dean, and Jack was there too. I was in a bunker, in a very safe place. And they wouldn’t let anything happen to me, they had proved that.  
I put my feet on the ground and stopped for a moment to think. What would I do? Was I supposed to try and get back to my old life? Would Sam and Dean let me stay longer? I really didn’t want to bother, but it felt like that place was the only place I would feel even slightly safe. My old house definitely didn’t, and I didn’t really want to get back to it.  
I got up, figuring I could just ask them, talk to them and discuss what my next step would be. It was nice of them to let me crash for the night, but I couldn’t stay there forever.  
Since I felt a little bit groggy, I wondered for how long I had slept for. I was even surprised that I fell asleep on the first place, to be honest, I was scared out of my mind last night. I still was, but last night felt fuzzy and surreal, maybe because of the shock and adrenaline. After a good night sleep, I was a little better, but my stomach felt unsettled. Still, I walked to the kitchen in the hopes that I could at least drink a glass of milk.  
As I approached the kitchen, I heard the noise of plates and glasses clinking. When I arrived I saw Jack, just then setting a bowl in the table and sitting down.  
“Good morning!” He received me, greeting me with a cute smile.  
“Hi” I approached the table, eyes focused on the bowl he put over it.  
“I don’t really know how to cook. So I tried… to make you breakfast”  
The gesture genuinely warmed my heart, and it was so unexpected and adorable that it made me chuckle. That alone made my morning better.  
“Aw shucks, thank you so much!” I sat down in front of him, still amused by the simplicity of a bowl of milk and cereal. Living alone I kind of knew how to cook, so it was pretty funny that he made me cereal. “That’s so nice of you, Jack!”  
His smile widened as he modestly shrugged.  
“Did you sleep well?” He asked me as I started eating the cereal.  
“I… Truth is… not really” I chuckled to make light of the situation.  
“It’s okay, I have nightmares sometimes too” Instead of comforting me, his words, no matter how kind, saddened me. It made me think about his own situation, how he probably went through a traumatic experience like myself since he knew about the supernatural.  
“So how did you meet Sam and Dean?” I paused, analyzing his expression, watching how he looked away in deep thought. I hoped I wasn’t being nosy, I just wanted to get to know him better. “If you don’t mind me asking…”  
“They… found me” Jack looked at me and nodded gravely. “And brought me here with them”  
“So sweet of them to take you in” I dedicated a smile at him, earning a tiny one from him too.  
“Yes”  
“Where are they, by the way?”  
“Getting ready”  
“For what?”  
Jack paused, starring in the seat and deliberately avoiding my eyes now.  
“Are they… working?” I guessed, assuming it was what made him uncomfortable, so I let him know I was aware of their job.  
“Yes” His blue eyes fell over me again. “Hunting”  
It felt like Jack was as intimidated about the supernatural as I was, so I didn’t insist. Even if I enjoyed chatting with him, my priority wasn’t asking him questions that would make him uncomfortable. I just wanted to try and get along with him, which so far turned out easier than I thought.  
I suddenly heard footsteps and turned around just in time to see Sam walking by. He briefly stopped at the door, tapping in the doorframe, and smiled at us. When he continued walking, however, I quickly stood up.  
“Excuse me, Jack” I left him and the bowl of cereal there. “I’ll be right back”  
“Of course” He muttered in response, staying there waiting for me.  
“Sam” I ran along the corridor and tried to keep up with his long legs. “Sam, wait!”  
“Yeah” He stopped and looked at me, intently listening to whatever I had to say.  
“I can see you’re busy” I motioned to his outfit, surprised that he was wearing a suit and not the jeans and flannel, but preferred to focus on the subject at hand. “And I don’t mean to bother…”  
“What is it, Brooke?” Sam smiled at my polite manners.  
“Could I please talk to you and Dean for a moment? It won’t take long, I promise”  
“Sure, wait for us in the hall, we’ll be there in a sec”  
“Thank you”  
I assumed by ‘hall’ he meant the main room, the one with the world map table, so I headed that way. As I did, I rehearsed in my mind what I wanted to tell them. How I still wasn’t really ready to abandon the safety of my improvised new home but I understood that I didn’t quite fit in. That I was willing to leave if I was a nuisance and, overall, that I was grateful for all their help and generosity.  
I leaned on the table, tapping my foot on the ground and playing with my hands. I could hear both Sam and Dean walking up and down at the other side of the corridor, getting ready and talking to each other from different rooms to make sure they had everything they needed. For a moment I wondered what things they packed to go hunting for supernatural beings, but then I came to the conclusion that I didn’t really want to know.  
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when I heard a fluttering noise not far from me. I caught a shadow with the corner of my eye and my heart skipped a beat when I turned and saw a man there. Where did he come from?! Heck, he seemed to have materialized from thin air!  
“Intruder!” I shouted, leaning away from the table and frantically looking for something to defend myself with.  
All I could think of was to throw the red circular rubber markers that lied on the table. They hit him in the chest, but he just frowned and stared at me, unaffected. I stared at the man as I backed away from him.  
“Sam! Dean! Jack!” I called out, bumping against the table and wondering why the stranger wasn’t attacking me. He fricking broke in after all!  
I was relieved to hear the noise of doors swinging open and people hurrying my way, calling my name.  
The stranger’s blue eyes pierced me as he slightly tilted his head to the side.  
“You must be Brooke Bishop” He said with a deep voice, yet somehow calm and soft. “I’m looking for Dean Winchester”  
“N-No!” I gathered enough courage to shove him as a warning, even if my heart began racing at the mention of my name. “You’re… You’re not hurting him!”  
“Hurt him? There must have been a misunderstanding”  
“Brooke!” Sam was the first to arrive, wielding a gun.  
“He broke in!” I quickly held the stranger by the arm, tightly gripping his brown trench coat, so Sam could impair him.  
The man tried to get away from my grip, apparently very confused, but I didn’t buy his act and kept holding on to him. Sam, however, saved his gun and ran to my side.  
“No, no” He gently pushed me away from the stranger in the trench coat. “It’s okay, Brooke! He’s not an intruder, he’s a friend”  
“I’m Castiel” The man introduced himself.  
“Castiel?” I watched him, analyzing his serious expression and piercing blue eyes.  
Just then, Dean and Jack arrived. Dean was carrying an actual sword, I had no idea where he got it from. Geez, did this bunker have swords?!  
“Kid, Cas’s a friend” Dean said, watching me gravely as he walked over and placed a hand over his shoulder. “He’s gonna stay with you two while we’re gone”  
“Oh, okay” I awkwardly cleared my throat, but politely smiled and offered him my hand. “N-Nice to meet you, I’m Brooke”  
Castiel frowned slightly, observing my stretched out hand. After a few seconds of hesitance, he squeezed it and nodded.  
“I’m… really sorry about that” I awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of my head. “I didn’t know”  
“It’s alright” He nodded politely. “You were trying to protect Dean, I appreciate that”  
“So, um…” I could feel Sam and Dean watching the scene, as well as Jack. “Are you a hunter too?”  
“No” His voice was surprisingly deep. “I’m an….”  
“Cas, wait” Sam tried to stop him, but wasn’t fast enough to cut off his sentence.  
“Angel” Castiel finished, squinting his eyes and turning to Sam.  
With the corner of my eye, I saw Dean throwing his hands up in frustration and letting them slap against his legs as they fell back to his sides.  
“Well, she was probably wondering how he appeared himself like freaking Harry Potter, so…”  
“Apparated”  
“What?”  
“It’s not appeared, it’s apparated” Sam corrected him, earning a glare from his brother.  
“Whatever” Dean’s face of exasperation was so funny that I would have laughed if it wasn’t because I was still a little tense.  
“Wait, you’re an… angel?” I repeated, feeling how my heart literally skipped a beat again at the thought that such creatures existed. “Literally an angel?”  
“Y-Yes…” He turned to Dean now, tilting his head to the side. “I don’t understand, isn’t Brooke someone we can trust in?”  
“She is, Cas, but…”  
“Did I do something wrong?”  
“Brooke is just…” Jack piped up for the first time. “She’s still getting used to everything”  
“Oh” Castiel straightened up his back and settled his blue eyes on me. “I’m sorry”  
“I…” I let out a chuckle of pure disbelief. “I’m not trying to disrespect you, Mr. Castiel, but… how do I know you’re an actual angel? It’s hard enough that I’m starting to get used to the idea of vampires but… angels?”  
Castiel didn’t say anything at first, but I noticed how Sam and Dean grew slightly tense. The first’s broad shoulders stiffened, so I watched the alleged angel, expecting a reaction.  
I gasped when a high-pitched noise suddenly echoed around us. By the grimaces on the boy’s faces, I could tell I wasn’t the only one to hear it. And just as I wondered where the sound originated from, a blinding light emanated from Castiel.  
“No way…” I whispered, watching how the supernatural and quite angelical light projected his silhouette against the wall behind him, except for a tiny little detail. There were wings on it too.  
His whole face had been illuminated and his eyes shone with a more intense blueish tone. Once the light withered, the noise died down with it. Castiel’s face resembled a human one again as his eyes focused on me once more.  
“Wow… Oh, my gosh…” I clumsily reached out around me, searching for any sort of support, feeling myself breathing heavily. Jack fidgeted around and restlessly positioned himself next to me, but I held on to the stairs railing.  
“Brooke?” Sam asked me, and when I looked up at him I saw him staring. “You good?”  
“Y-Yeah, I… I think so…” I smiled in spite of it all, suddenly overwhelmed by a warm feeling of safety and comfort. Angels were real! I literally had an angel watching over me and Jack. “I just have an actual angel in front of me”  
“You’re not gonna faint on us, are you?” Dean squeezed my shoulder, making me look at him.  
“N-No, I’m alright” I reluctantly separated myself from the railing, even if my legs were a bit shaky. “I’m fine, I promise”  
“Well, thanks for coming, Cas” Dean patted his back in a familiar gesture.  
“Wait” Sam watched how Jack and Castiel walked away talking amongst them. “You wanted to talk to me and Dean, right?”  
“Oh, yeah…” I chuckled, watching them both. “I almost forgot after I met the angel”  
Dean smirked, briefly looking over to Castiel. Then he rested a hand on the table and leaned on it.  
“What’s up, kid?”  
“I, uh… Well, I wanted to make sure it’s okay for me to stay here”  
“Of course” Sam frowned, kindly tapping my arm. “We told you, Brooke, you can stay here as long as you need to”  
“I know, I know, and I appreciate it” I shyly looked away, feeling like they were being too nice. “I’m just… not ready to go out yet? But I’d hate to be a bother and…”  
“Look, kid” Dean cut me off, and I felt his green eyes intently watching me. “We don’t want you going out there either, especially if you’re scared”  
“And you’re no bother at all” Sam shook his head a little. “We’re happy to have you here”  
“Thank you, guys” I smiled at them, wondering what I did to deserve such treatment. “For everything, I mean it, I’m… I owe you”  
Dean patted my arm effusively, making me wobble a bit. I still felt too shy to hold their glances.  
“No problem, buy me a yacht and we’ll be square”  
I laughed a little at his joke, and they were both grinning too when I looked up at them. I then noticed Dean was wearing a suit too. They looked quite different, almost like they were different people from the ones that saved me from a vampire attack.  
“Can I ask why are you wearing suits?” I couldn’t really contain my curiosity.  
“Know how to keep a secret?” Dean whispered confidentially.  
“Duh” I had learned about vampires and stuff, but that didn’t mean I would tell anyone. Sam chuckled at my response.  
“We’re passing as FBI agents” They both got something out of their pockets and showed it to me. Fake badges, even if as far as I knew they could be real. They had the logo, the names and the pictures and everything.  
“Agents… Page and Plant?” I squinted my eyes as I read their fake names.  
“Yeah” Sam eyed me strangely. “You don’t know who they are?”  
“Not really, no…” Dean seemed almost offended that I didn’t. “S-Sorry…!”  
“Do yourself a favor” He muttered with a scowl. “Go to my room later and put any vinyl that says ‘Led Zeppelin’ on the record player”  
“I promise I’ll do my homework” I nodded, taking a mental note of the name of the band.  
“Well, gotta go” Sam began walking towards the corridor, probably to get his bag from the room. “Be good”  
“Sure”  
“And do your homework!”  
“When you come back I’ll have an essay about Led Zeppelin’s music”  
“Atta girl”  
As they went back to gather the last of their stuff for their hunting trip, I reunited with the rest. 

 

I was left alone with Jack and Castiel. The three of us sat down around one of the wooden tables of the library. While they were both incredibly friendly, I felt like I was out of place there with them. They smiled at each other with a certain familiarity and I sensed they had a special connection. In fact, looking at one and the other, they looked very similar, were they related? They both had blue eyes and that soft innocent expression. Could that mean that Jack was an angel too? Did angels even have children? There were so many things I didn’t know!  
“Brooke, is something wrong?” Castiel asked me, making me realize I had been staring at him, tilting my head in deep thought.  
“What? No, it’s nothing…” I sat down in the table, unable to stop staring at him. A real fricking angel! It was fascinating. “Actually, could I please ask you something?”  
“Of course” He sat down and Jack imitated him. Even their gestures were alike.  
“Do all angels kinda… teleport?”  
Castiel showed me a kind smile, surely realizing I was about to ask more than that.  
“Yes, they can”  
“Cool!”  
It felt exhilarating to know all that. Heck, learning about angels was probably better than anything I could find out about any other creatures. The fact that angels existed gave me hope, seeing that such pure and kind creatures were real just like those other aggressive creatures were.  
“And that from before…” I waved my arms around, mimicking wings. “Was that… your angelical form or something?”  
“It was my true form, yes” He rested his hands intertwined over the table. “Angels, like many others creatures, need of a body to be able to walk the Earth”  
“A body?”  
“A vessel, which has to consent to letting us in”  
Welp, there went my theory that Jack was Castiel’s son and also an angel like him. Even if they both kind of exuded the same kind of calm and bright energy.  
“So… that man is your vessel? Is he still in there?”  
“He was… His name was Jimmy Novak, I… It’s a long story”  
“Oh, sorry” Whoops, I thought I should change the subject. “So how long have you known Sam and Dean?”  
“A long time” A new smile formed on his lips as he averted his eyes in deep thought.  
“Let me guess” I grinned, exchanging a glance with Jack that only widened my smile when I saw he was smiling too. “It’s a long story too”  
“As a matter of fact, it is” I didn’t think Castiel caught the joke, but I didn’t mind.  
“So if angels are real… does that mean God is too?” Castiel fondly smiled at my many excited questions.  
“Yes, he is my father”  
“Whoo! Ooh, boy!”  
As I thought of the next question I wanted to ask him, I looked over to Jack, who watched Castiel and intently listened to his every word. I related to the way Jack looked at him, because it was probably the way I looked at Sam and Dean.


	4. Turn The Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting to feel a little bit safer, Brooke nows attempts to turn the page and get used to her new life in the bunker with her new friends.

When I woke up the next day, Sam and Dean were already gone. It happened like that for days, even a week. I still didn’t leave the bunker, too afraid to go out and face the real world. The scarily real world, filled with supernatural beings. After a week in the bunker, the nightmares about them became less frequent. I started getting used to being there, and living with two hunters and an angel. And well, Jack, of course.   
The good part of being in the bunker was that I had a lot of things I could entertain myself with: watching movies with Jack, listening to some music that Dean recommended, reading some books that Sam told me about, talk with Castiel about angels and other creatures… I would never get bored. The bad part was that I started feeling a little weird. There was so much I could do inside there without feeling locked.   
But after a week, I was starting to get along with Jack. We were in his room, continuing watching Star Wars and finishing our movie marathon. According to him, we had now watched the original trilogy as well as the prequels. They were entertaining, and especially more with Jack’s comments and excited observations.   
“So?” Jack turned to me with a smile as the credits rolled. “Did you like it?”   
I sat up in the bed next to him, leaning my back against the headboard.  
“Yeah!” I grinned, endeared by how he excited and passionate he was about them still. “I actually enjoyed them a lot”   
“What about the characters?”   
“I think Leia is pretty badass!”   
“She’s great! I like Anakin”   
“Really?” I lifted an eyebrow, surprised by his answer.   
“You don’t like him?” Jack frowned, so I hurried to explain myself.  
“It’s not that, he’s a cool character. He’s just a bit whiny” I grinned, but he didn’t.  
“But he has a tragic story”   
“Yeah, still… he did bad things…”   
“Maybe he didn’t have a choice”   
“Of course he had! There’s always a choice, and he chose evil…”   
“He was… trying to save someone he loved”   
“Not like that! He could have found some other way”   
“He wasn’t bad…” Jack must really like Anakin, because he seemed frustrated and almost sad that I didn’t agree with him.  
“I didn’t say that! Even at the end, he was still good… But he could have done things differently” I patted Jack’s arm to reinforce my words. “Besides, his friends tried to help him and he wouldn’t let them”   
“I guess you’re right” He shrugged, even if he averted his eyes.  
“Of course! I’m always right” Seeing as he still didn’t smile, I bumped my shoulder into his, finally making him look at me. “Sorry if I upset you, I know you like him and I still respect your opinion…”   
“No, it’s alright” Jack nodded solemnly. “You have your opinion too”   
“Hey, people make mistakes, obviously” I showed him a little smile. “But Anakin did the right thing at the end, it just took him some time”   
“So you still like him?” It was kind of adorable that he cared so much about the movies and its characters, there was actually a spark of hope in his blue eyes as he stared at me.  
“Of course! He just needs to whine a little less still” I rolled my eyes, still playfully.  
“Yeah, that’s true…” I finally got him to smile a little.   
“See? Always right” I nudged him in the ribs, still grinning, and Jack chuckled.   
I was about to stand up when the door suddenly opened to reveal Castiel. He must have just arrived, or… teleported, because we hadn’t heard him. He smiled at the sight of us sitting together in the bed and a laptop between us.   
“Cas, hey!” I paused as I wondered if the nickname would bother him. “Can I call you Cas, is that okay?”   
“Of course” Castiel smiled. “Sam and Dean already do”   
“Any news on them?” I said, briefly turning to look behind me when I heard Jack standing up from the bed and approaching us. “Are they okay?”   
“I haven’t heard from them, but I’m sure they’re okay”   
“But they’re… hunting, right?”   
“Yes”   
“Then how do you know?!”   
“They have been doing this for a long time, Brooke, they will be fine”   
Castiel began walking, so we both followed him as he headed for the hall.   
“I would still like to talk to them” I mumbled, unable to conceal my anxiety. “Just to make sure”   
“I can call them if you’d like” Castiel pulled out a cellphone from one of his trench coat pockets.   
“Yes, please!” I gently held on to his arm. “It would make me feel so much better!”   
While Castiel nodded and began dialing their number, Jack softly put a hand atop my shoulder. He didn’t say anything, but it was enough to slightly ease my anxiety.   
“I’m calling” Castiel said, holding his phone on his hand as the call rang on the speaker.  
“Hey, Cas, is everything okay?” Some came Sam’s deep voice.   
“Sam” The angel replied gravely. “I’m sorry to bother you-“   
“Hi, Sam!” I suddenly felt very self-conscious, fearing that I came out as childish or even worse, that I was actually bothering them during a bad moment. “Sorry, it was my fault”   
“Brooke” Sam cleared his throat, maybe gesturing to his brother. “What’s up?”   
“I just… wanted to make sure you guys were okay, I mean… Gosh, what you do…”   
“That’s really sweet” He chuckled. “But we’re good, don’t worry about us”   
“You sure? I mean-“ I was about to argue that their job was dangerous, but I was interrupted.  
“Hey, kid” Suddenly came Dean’s voice. “You sure that’s all?”   
“Um…” I quickly looked at Jack and Castiel, who were observing me, but then averted my eyes. “Guess I wasn’t too subtle, huh?”   
Truth was, it wasn’t only about their wellbeing. Of course, I cared about them, I had grown fond of them quickly. And not just because they saved my freaking life, but because they were such good people, they were actual heroes! But… there was something else, like a void in my chest that filled when they were back.   
“What’s wrong? Spit it out” The older Winchester urged me.   
I remained silent, feeling how my friends’ glances pierced me while I faked an interest in my ripped jeans, fiddling with a little hole in the knee.  
“You’re still scared” Sam said instead, reading my mind.   
“C’mon, kid!” Dean complained, his voice firm and stern. “That bunker is warded against all sorts of supernatural crap”   
“Believe me, Brooke, you’re as safe as you can be in there” Sam added, chuckling again. I felt uncomfortable and stupid seeing as Castiel and Jack were still there. “Cas can protect you better than we could ever do, and so can Jack”   
I finally looked up, locking eyes with Castiel in shame. He was frowning, but he didn’t look upset and when I glanced at Jack I realized he didn’t either.   
“I-I know! I’m sorry” I nibbled on my bottom lip. “I… It’s silly, I just… I trust Cas and Jack, of course! It’s just… Sorry to bother you guys, I’m stupid…”   
“Yeah, you are” Dean said to my surprise. “But we still love you”   
“Shut up” I chuckled, relieved to see that they were still so understanding.   
“We gotta go now, okay?”   
“Wait! Will you be okay?”   
“Sure! We got this”   
“And we got each other’s backs”   
“Okay… Bye!”   
Jack and Castiel wouldn’t stop looking at me, almost with the same exact expression, as the call ended.   
“I’m sorry…” I sighed, feeling like I somehow wasn’t completely myself still. I felt weird and shaky and clingy even after a week. “I do trust you guys, it’s just that they…”   
“I understand” Castiel interrupted me, his voice calm and deep as usual. “Sam and Dean saved your life, you feel a special bond with them. You feel safer when they’re around”   
“Y-Yeah” I bashfully put my hair behind my ear. “You actually put it into words, I couldn’t have said it better myself”   
“You don’t have to be scared” I realized Jack’s hand was still in my shoulder. “You’re safe here, and we will protect you”   
“Thank you…” I sighed, leaning on the table. “I just feel… A little out of it still”   
“You look a little pale” Castiel gently held me by the arm, noticing I was wobbly and weak before I could even do so myself. “Are you feeling alright?”   
Truth was, I felt a bit sick. I thought I had been improving during those days in the bunker, but I had just been trying to tell myself that. I kept distracting myself with books and movies and music when I should have been trying to confront my fears. But watching Star Wars with Jack wasn’t helping with my nightmares or insomnia, no matter how nice it was.  
I shook my head in response, realizing how tired I was even if I had tried to hide it.   
“I haven’t seen her eat much lately” Jack gravely said behind Castiel.   
“Maybe we should all go outside” Castiel looked at Jack. “All of us”   
When the angel put a hand on my shoulder now, I jolted up.   
“Wow, wait, Cas! I agree, but just… don’t teleport me, please? I feel queasy enough already…”   
“Yes” Castiel laughed a little. “It would be better if we walked” 

 

Castiel seemed very unimpressed as we walked the streets, but Jack and I were thrilled to be outside. The crowds of people, the soft breeze, the warm sun as well as the natural light, even the annoying sound of cars honking and speeding by was refreshing and welcomed! We both had been locked in there only for a week, but we couldn’t erase seldom smiles off our faces. It also helped to see the world was still the same, that life continued.  
“How about here?” The angel stopped before a fast food restaurant and took out his wallet –hilarious! Who would have thought an angel needed one –and counted his money to make sure he had enough.   
“Great!” Jack shrugged, and with a smile he opened the door, holding it open for me and Cas.   
I gladly followed as he went to one of the tables and sat down by him, not even needing to take a look at the menu because I already knew what I wanted: burger, French fries, and soda. I’m a simple girl.   
“Castiel” I called him just as he sat down, earning an attentive look from him. “How come you two are in the bunker as well?”   
“I don’t understand” He frowned as he always did.  
“I mean… I get why Sam and Dean don’t take me on hunts, but you and Jack?” I looked from him to the boy and back to the angel. “What they’re doing is important, they’re making the world a better place so… why don’t they let you help?”   
With the corner of my eye, I noticed how Jack leaned forward and put his hands on the table, interested in Castiel’s response as well.   
“They prefer we keep you company” He dedicated me a serene smile and a nod.  
“That’s silly! I can be alone in the bunker, I wouldn’t mind” I clicked my tongue, feeling like I wasn’t telling the whole truth. “Don’t get me wrong, I love having you guys there! But heck, I would be willing to sacrifice my comfort if I knew you could be out there kicking ass instead of wasting your time with me!!”   
“I enjoy spending my time with you…” Jack mumbled, so I smiled at him in appreciation.  
“You are far more important thank you know, Brooke” Castiel kindly replied.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I raised an eyebrow and stared at him.  
Castiel frowned, taking a moment. He opened his mouth to reply, but just then, they came to take our order.  
“Hello! What can I get you?” A friendly looking short-haired ginger stood by our table, notepad in hand.   
“Um, I’ll have… A burger with everything on it, some fries and a Coke” I said, smiling at her.   
“I…” Jack spoke up after me. “I’ll have the same”   
She nodded and wrote it down, only to look at Castiel after.   
“Uh, nothing for me, thank you” With that, she walked away, leaving us in silence.   
I stared at Castiel, not wanting to be rude, but really wanting to know what he was about to say before we were interrupted.   
“We just want to protect you” He realized what I was thinking and carried on.  
I watched him carefully, trying to figure out what he meant. Maybe he was just trying to tell me that I mattered, and of course I did! Everyone mattered, every person was worth saving. But it mattered more to save more people instead of worrying about someone that, although scared, was already safe.   
“Fine, mom” I jokingly rolled my eyes in the end, which caused them two to laugh a little. “You don’t eat then?”   
He seemed to appreciate the change of subject, because his stiff shoulders relaxed.   
“No, food tastes like molecules” I laughed a little, but Castiel seemed serious.   
“Oh…?” Another thing I knew about angels, I guess. “Well, that… sucks”   
I absently looked out the window while we waited for our order to arrive. I felt restless when I realized there was a convenience store crossing the street.   
I had almost forgotten, being so comfortable with Jack and Cas, but… I had a life before any of this happened, and some things I left behind. Being an orphan and a workaholic I didn’t have many people, but I did have a job and a house that I didn’t really see myself going back to. At least not any time soon. After feeling so enveloped and welcomed by my new friends, it felt too anguishing and lonely to go back to that.   
“Guys?” I spoke up, looking from one to the other. “Would you help me with something?”   
“Yes” They both replied at the same time, more than ready to do so before even knowing what.   
“I have to tend to some business, y’know…” I gulped, and averted my eyes upon growing aware of how much attention they were paying to me. “Talk to my old boss, go back to my house and get some things… I can’t keep watching Star Wars over and over, I should get some DVDs from my place or something”  
They didn’t smile at my joke, because they realized how serious the matter was. It almost felt like giving up my old life entirely. I could have tried to forget about vampires and angels, but… it just wasn’t that easy. Besides, knowing about the supernatural, I felt like I could do something. Maybe even become a hunter like Sam and Dean. Just not quite yet. But I wanted to help, and to do that I had to stay.   
“Are you sure?” Castiel understood what I implied, that I was basically committing to this new life.   
“I am” There were butterflies in my stomach as I spoke, but I had made up my mind. “I’m ready”   
“In that case, we’ll go with you” Castiel checked with Jack, who nodded in agreement. “As soon as you eat something”   
“Thanks, Cas” I smiled at him, gently laying a hand on his arm. His hand fondly fell over mine. He was such an angel. 

 

I was supposed to lead the way, but I felt quite lost even if I knew where to go. Jack and Cas followed me as I headed for the convenience store where Mr. Collins was probably still trying to figure out what happened to me and how to replace me during my absence.  
It felt almost like fate that the bunker was in Lebanon, Kansas and I lived in Kansas City. We weren’t that far away from each other! And Cas’ teleportation skills easily transported us from one place to another, it was pretty great!   
“Are you feeling better?” Castiel asked me, trying to gather my attention.   
“What? Oh, yeah, sure” I briefly looked at him over my shoulder. “Much better, thank you”   
“You do look better” Jack observed, giving me a little smile.   
“Nothing some junk food and a little bit of fresh air can’t fix!”   
“You seem absent” Castiel told me, gently taking me by the arm. “Nervous, scared even”   
I finally looked at him, and it was heartwarming to see the gentle and concerned expression in his piercing blue eyes.  
“Thanks, Cas” I smiled, genuinely. “But I’m okay, it’s no big deal”   
“Are you sure, Brooke?”   
“Yeah! Don’t worry about it”   
Although reluctantly, he softly let go of me. I could feel their eyes on me as I kept walking, turning a corner and feeling my heart beating in my throat when I recognized the street I was in. I had walked around there every day for so long. Geez, and to think that barely a week ago I didn’t even know my current friends existed.   
I kept walking, reminding myself of the comfort Castiel and Jack brought me as they walked behind me. Then I finally stopped before the convenience store where I used to work and took a deep breath. It looked… smaller. I paused before it, preparing myself to face the situation.  
“Do you want us to come in with you?” Jack mumbled after a moment of silence.  
“No. No…” Realizing I was deep in thought, I turned around and fondly patted his arm. “Thanks, Jack, but I need to do this myself”   
“We understand” Castiel leaned forward slightly since they were still behind me. “We will be right here if you need anything”   
I squeezed Castiel’s arm as well to thank him before I nodded with resolve and headed inside. Every step I took closer to the store made my heart thump against my chest with more intensity. I thought that it was stupid to get so nervous over talking to my old boss. But it wasn’t only facing him, it was what it implied too, to leave all that behind, to definitely say goodbye to my old life. Quitting my job meant the start of my new life.  
I quickly peeked through the window, without stopping, before walking inside. Mr. Collins was actually behind the counter, occupying my old spot, which told me that he hadn’t found anyone to fill my position. He would probably be mad at me for my absence.   
When he heard the welcoming bell, he looked up from his phone, bearing a deadpan expression.  
“Welcome to…” And then he saw me. His entire face became a reddish tone. “You”   
“M-Mr. Collins, I need to talk to you” I muttered, avoiding any eye contact.   
“Yes, you do, you absolutely do!” He slammed his phone onto the counter, making me jump a bit. I watched my friends outside with the corner of my eye. Castiel took a step forward, but I subtly told him it was okay with just a glance. “Care to explain where have you been? It was your job to be here, not mine”   
“I am truly sorry, believe me, and I would have called, but-“   
“I can’t find someone to replace you, and meanwhile you’re probably out there being too lazy to come to work”   
“Excuse me, but you have no idea what I… What kept me, sir”   
“Then by all means, tell me!” He replied with his posh and arrogant voice.  
I couldn’t be honest with him, I wouldn’t just tell him I was attacked by vampires and rescued by two hunters of the supernatural. So I said something else instead.  
“With all due respect, Mr. Collins, I don’t think my personal life matters. What’s important is that the reason I was absent is because something… unexpected happened that-“   
“I don’t care what happened to you, you should have been here!”   
“Why didn’t you try to contact me?” I noticed how he rolled his eyes, and was hit with realization. “You… you lost my number, why wouldn’t you ask for it again?”   
For someone as arrogant as him with such an ’important’ job, he was pretty irresponsible and unprofessional. He didn’t even care if something bad happened to me, just that I wasn’t there to watch his stupid store. He wasn’t even paying me that much! I…  
“Gosh, you only care about yourself and your store” I thought aloud. “Honestly, Mr. Collins, you’re a terrible boss and an awful person”   
He scowled at me and rolled his eyes once more.   
“That’s saying a lot coming from an orphan” He shouted, letting me know I had hurt his ego.   
“Thank you for proving my point” I frowned, trying not to show how hurt I was by his words. Again. “I quit”   
Mr. Collins just glared at me, but I ignored him and exited the store. I heard the doorbell for what I thought would be the last time. Castiel immediately came to my side.  
“Are you okay, Brooke? I noticed the situation was… tense”   
“Are you kidding? I’m great!” I heaved a sigh, feeling energized. “It felt great to stand up to that jerk!”   
“Where to next?”   
“My place, if that’s okay, to pick up some things” 

 

After tending to some more quick business, we got back to the bunker, with me now carrying a bag with the most important stuff I would need there: some clothes, my laptop and a few other personal possessions that I missed.   
As soon as we walked into the bunker and down the stairs, I plopped down in the nearest chair and heaved a big sigh. I was exhausted after so much walking and, welp, the emotional rollercoaster too.   
Jack and Cas sat down in the table with me. Jack showed me a soft yet somewhat awkward smile when I looked at him. They were both staring at me, trying to be subtle but they weren’t too inconspicuous as they also exchanged changes between them.   
“What a day, huh?” I said to break the tension, to let them know I was still my usual cheerful self.   
“How are you feeling, Brooke?” Castiel asked me gravely, frowning as he still stared.  
“G-Good! I’m good, heh” I averted my gaze and traced the outlines of the countries on the map that the table displayed before us.   
“Are you feeling better now?” Jack asked me too.   
“Y-Yeah, I, uh… I kinda feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders” I then grabbed one of the rubber marks I threw at Cas when I first met him and began playing with it. “It was a bit tough and very emotional but… I feel lighter now”   
All of that felt so trivial, my job, my house, my routine. It might take time, but in the bunker I got a chance of doing something different, something good. Something big. Helping Sam and Dean make the world a better place, even if step by step. They… inspired me to be brave.  
“Is it temporary?” Castiel’s deep voice brought me back to reality. “I have the feeling that you want to leave your old life behind”   
“I really don’t know, Cas” I looked into his blue eyes and found them to be comforting, almost familiar. Sometimes I almost forgot that he was a heavenly being despite his softness and humanity. “I… I just know that I want to do some good, and here with you guys I can”   
Castiel showed me a fond smile, but didn’t say anything else, he just nodded.   
“We’re glad to have you here” Jack mumbled, shrugging a bit. “Your company is-“   
He then closed his eyes tight and winced, holding his head with both hands. I gasped and forgot my tiredness as I frantically stood up.   
“Jack?!” Looking to Cas, I realized he seemed to be experiencing a similar sort of discomfort, they were both groaning in pain. "What's going on, are you okay?!”   
Castiel breathed out in distress, and Jack did too even if louder, even in more discomfort.  
“You’re freaking me out, guys!” I gulped, heavily leaning my hands on the table for support as I glanced from one to the other, just as they calmed down. “What the heck just happened?!”   
Jack visibly gulped, widening his eyes as they settled over Castiel. The aforesaid seemed calmer, but he refused to meet with my glance. The silence made my violent heartbeat more obvious, and it was profoundly anguishing me.   
“Please say something…” I begged, breathing heavily as the sound of my panting filled the silence.  
“It was angel radio” Castiel finally explained, slowly locking eyes with me.   
I opened my mouth to reply, but found that I was speechless.   
“A-Angel radio?” I looked down to the table, feeling how the exhaustion washed over me again, and noticing my knuckles turning white from how tight I was gripping the table. “So that means there are more angels. I mean, of course they are, but uh... You communicate with them?”   
“Not exactly” Cas replied, speaking slowly. “When they talk amongst them using their angelic powers, we can hear them”   
We both stared at Jack, who was still silent, sitting stiffly in the chair.   
“Uh… ’We’? So Jack’s an angel too?” For some reason, that wasn’t as shocking as realizing that Castiel was. “He’s… like you…”   
“I-I’m a nephilim” He finally spoke up, even if his eyes were still wide open. “I’m part human”   
“Wow” I awkwardly chuckled, slowly sitting back down. “That’s… um, interesting…”   
“Brooke?”   
“Are you alright?”   
“I am! Don’t worry, guys, it’s… it’s cool”   
I hadn’t noticed I had gotten back up, but I really needed to get away from there. After learning Castiel was an angel I thought I was okay with the supernatural. But Jack’s true nature hit me harder than I could anticipated. Maybe it was that I related to him, that I felt like we were equals and… turned out he was part angel.   
“If you’ll excuse me” I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the fact that I had been idly standing there for longer than I wanted and that they still stared at me. “I think I’m gonna crash”   
Hence, I walked back to my room, my head filled with questions and doubts as much as my heart was. 

 

Time seemed to put things into perspective. Hours passed until it turned to night, and it was really late when I heard Sam and Dean returning to the bunker. By that point, the emotion of the day was really taking a toll on me and I was getting sleepy.   
However, I felt almost at peace now. Sure, it was mind-blowing that Jack was an angel too or… well, a nephilim. But it changed nothing. Castiel was Castiel, he was my friend despite being an angel, and so was Jack. Nothing had changed, he was still the same nerdy soft boy that I watched Star Wars with. I just needed some time alone with my thoughts, and when I did, I realized all of this.   
I was so deep into my thoughts that I got startled when someone softly knocked on the door.   
“Who is it?”   
“It’s me, Sam”   
“Oh, come on in!”   
Sam cautiously opened the door and peeked inside the room. I waved at him and he came in, closing the door behind him.   
“I thought you would be sleeping by now” He looked a bit tired and disheveled, but otherwise okay, taking in consideration he had just returned from a hunt.   
“Guess I have a lot on my mind” I shrugged, watching how he sat down at the edge of the bed with me.   
“Yeah, how you holding up?”   
“Can’t complain”   
“Cas told us he took you guys outside” Before I could say anything, Sam stared at me gravely. “And he told us that you were sick”   
“That was nothing, Sam” I carelessly waved my hand. “I just needed some fresh air”   
“You sure?”   
“Yeah, absolutely! I’m fine, I promise. You guys need to stop worrying about me”   
“And what about Jack being a nephilim?”   
“It’s not that bad…”   
“Okay” He made a pause, brushing his hair away from his face, before he continued speaking. “Then let’s talk about that phone call”   
“Geez, would you forget about it, please? It was embarrassing enough without you rubbing it in my face”   
Sam grinned but calmly nodded, holding his hands up in surrender.   
“I just wanted to check on you” He excused himself. “Seems like it was an eventful day”   
“It was pretty crazy” I shrugged, even if bearing a smile. “But I suppose it’s like this for you everyday”   
“Pretty much” Sam chuckled. “Crazy is kinda normal for us now”   
“Yeah” I chuckled too, then kindly patting his arm. “Hey, so how’d the hunt go?”   
“You know… the usual” He intertwined his hands over his lap.  
“Sure, you know” I let out a soft guffaw. “Just saving the world”   
Sam grinned at me, but didn’t say anything.  
“Was it… dangerous?” A part of me was incredibly curious to know more details, but the other knew it was all still too recent to want to hear any of it.  
“Nothing we couldn’t handle” He nodded calmly, his eyes displaying kindness as usual, but also fondness. “Don’t worry about it, Brooke”   
“Sorry” I grinned, locking eyes with him. “Can’t help it”   
“I know” He stood up and playfully slapped me in the leg. “Try to get some rest”   
“You too” We smiled at each other as Sam left and closed the door behind him.   
I thought it was time to go to sleep already so I lied down, put the covers over myself and closed my eyes. It felt cozy to be there, relaxing and doing nothing as I let the slumber take me. I also felt more at ease knowing Sam and Dean were back safely, and that Jack and Cas were there with me too.   
I was falling asleep when the door quietly swung open, barely enough letting my hear it. I looked over my shoulder to Jack sticking his head in.   
“Sorry” Jack whispered, quite gravely, bearing a serious expression. “I wanted to see if you were awake, I didn’t mean to wake you up”   
Before I could even reply, he was already on his way, closing the door once more. But I stopped him, knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep now that I had the chance to talk to him.  
“Jack, wait!” I immediately sat up on the bed, trying to sober up. Frowning in anticipation, he cautiously opened the door and expectantly stared at me. “Can we talk?”   
Without a word, he nodded and came inside. Jack stood there, not daring to walk closer nor sit on the bed like Sam had done around two hours ago.   
“I’m sorry about before” I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to focus on the conversation instead of my drowsiness. “I just needed a minute, but maybe I… shouldn’t have walked away like that?”   
“N-No” Jack replied quickly, clearly surprised by my comment. “No, it’s okay, I… I get it”   
“But I feel terrible! You probably were so worried and… I don’t know, it just had been a weird day and I wasn’t expecting that you were a nephol… n-ne…” What was that word again?   
“Nephilim?” Jack shyly ventured, trying to help me out.  
“Yeah, that! A nephilim! I… You’re still the same Jack” I tilted my head and jokingly wrinkled my nose. “It took me a while to realize, but you being a bit angelical doesn’t change the fact that you’re a nerd”   
He dedicated me one of his wide adorable grins and even let out a small chuckle. I fondly stuck my tongue out at him.   
“Thank you, Brooke” He nodded, and I could read how genuine it was in his eyes.   
“Don’t even mention it” Since a silence established, and because my mind was a bit foggy because of the sleepiness, I decided to add something. “Hey, can I ask you a silly question?”   
“Of course”   
“Is Cas is your dad?”   
Jack blinked repeatedly, making a thoughtful pause before replying.   
“Yes… no… It’s… a long story” His voice was now low, almost bleak.   
“Mind summarizing it for me?” I stifled a yawn against my hand.  
“I just… chose him to be my father” The lighthearted expression in his face was suddenly gone.   
I forced my weary head to think of something to cheer him up again, missing his smile, but nothing would come to mind. My body was begging me to go to sleep already, but I didn’t want to leave Jack knowing he was troubled. Besides, his company was exhilarating and addictive as usual.  
“Why did you ask?” When Jack tilted his head to the side, almost like Castiel would, I felt even sillier asking that question.   
“I mean, you look alike, you’re both angels… kinda. You have similar gestures…” I giggled and pointed at him. “Like that little kitty-like head tilt”   
Jack grinned again. Mission accomplished.  
“I think you need some sleep” Was his only reply, however.   
“Probably, I feel kinda drunk” We both laughed a little, and I plopped down into a lying position once more.   
“Sleep well” Jack was about to leave, but there was one last thing I wanted to tell him.  
“Jack?” I said, not bothering to move.   
“Yes?” He said in his soft voice.  
“Just so you know, I felt safe with Sam and Dean, but… I feel even safer now knowing two angels are watching over me”   
He didn’t reply at first, so I opened my eyes to quickly glance at him. His smile was now so wide that it created wrinkles around his eyes.   
“Goodnight, Brooke” He just said as he left the room.   
“Nighty night”


	5. Good Times, Bad Times

Jack was sick, very very sick, he was dying. Nothing we did seemed to be of any help. We had to resign ourselves to watch him die, there was nothing we could do. And it was destroying me, ‘broken heart’ couldn’t even start to define how terrible I felt.   
A mixture of a gasp and a scream escaped my mouth as I quickly sat up. As I looked around my room and realized I was back in the real world, I sighed in relief. It was just a nightmare, Jack was okay, it was just a bad dream. Still, I would feel so much better if I actually saw him. Just to make sure.   
Something was off, though. As I sobered up a little, I realized I had abandoned a nightmare to be immersed into another, and this wasn’t even a dream, it was real life.   
I jumped off the bed and swung my door open in panic. An alarm was loudly blasting through the whole bunker and red lights illuminated everything.   
I ran at full speed, quickly looking into every single room and finding it empty. Jack’s room, Dean’s room, Sam’s room, all vacant. I raced through the corridors until I made it to the entrance, where I stopped to catch my breath.   
I looked around me as my heartbeat echoed in my ears. The bunker grew silent. The red lights stopped flashing red. Everything became peaceful once more.   
A breath hitched in my throat when I noticed the chairs around the world map table had been hurriedly pushed away, and one was laying on the ground. I heard voices coming from the library, so I hurriedly walked into the other room, hearing the sound of my bare feet as they made contact with the cold ground.   
“Guys?!” I whisper-yelled, watching the scene before me in horror.   
“Brooke” Dean was the one to turn to me even if Sam also glanced at me.   
All three of them were huddled together, Jack seemed to be in the middle. As I grew closer, I noticed they were staring at him in concern and he looked down to himself in shock as well. His shirt was slightly ripped over his chest, there were a bloody mark stained the fabric.   
“Oh my gosh!” I tried to get closer and check on my friend, but Dean was trying to gather my attention as he took me by the arm, yet I just ignored him, too worried about my friend. “Jack, are you okay?!”   
“I’m… I’m alright” His voice sounded low and strangled as he helplessly looked up to Sam.   
“Wh-What…?” I managed to utter, still trying to get closer to me, but Dean was still in my way.   
“Look, kid, everything’s fine” He took me by the arm to softly push me away from them, motioning for Sam to take care of the rest. “Jack’s fine, it’s okay”   
“So everyone’s okay?” I frantically looked from Dean to the rest. “Are you sure?”  
“We’re good, Brooke” Sam nodded, dedicating me a forced smile to reassure me.   
“What happened? Why is Jack hurt? Why-?” Dean shook me a little, tightening his grip on my upper arm.   
“Okay, kid, calm down” He shook me a bit, earning a glance from me. “We just had a… little accident, is all”   
Dean looked surprisingly calm taking in consideration Jack was hurt. I looked back at my half angel friend, and realized the ‘wound’ wasn’t actually bleeding. Was he actually hurt? Did his nephilim nature protect him?   
“But the lights, the… the alarm…” My eyes met with Dean’s green ones, trying to let him know how anxious I felt. I wondered if he felt me trembling under his grip. “It woke me up, and I thought…”   
“It was nothing, a false alarm” Seeing that I wasn’t as anguished, he finally let go of me.  
I glanced at Jack, realizing he was looking at me from time to time too. Then I noticed… where was Cas? I let my eyes wander around the library and saw something unusual. In one of the stone columns was drawn a red symbol that I didn’t recognize, scribbled in a rush. I tried to take a better look at it, but I was too far. However, I thought it looked recent.   
“Why don’t you go back to sleep, huh?” Dean pushed me slightly, forcing me to look back at him. “Y’know, forget about it”   
“N-No” I uttered, watching in anguish how Sam finally took Jack to another room. “I’m still a bit shaken up, Dean, I… I won’t be able to get back to sleep”   
His stern frown softened and his eyes showcased a kindness that could rival with the eye in Sam’s. He lightly rubbed my back in a comforting gesture.   
“Sorry that it woke you up, but there’s nothing to worry about, I promise” Despite his softer expression, there was still a certain roughness in his voice, almost impatience.   
“O-Okay…” I replied, still not too convinced. Nonetheless, I walked away.   
I returned to my room in a daze, not paying attention where I was going as I absently navigated the corridors that I had grown so familiar with.   
It felt like something else was going on, like it wasn’t just a ‘false alarm’ and that it definitely wasn’t ‘a little accident’. The safety of the bunker had been at stake, I was positive! Otherwise, why would the alarm go off like that?   
They were keeping something from me. I was sure that they had their reasons, and they were probably doing them from a place of love but… I couldn’t help but to wonder what was actually happening, just out of curiosity. To… understand... A part of me wanted to pester them with questions, but hey, I trusted them! 

 

I didn’t even try to get back to sleep, instead I watched movies on my laptop and listened to some music. I found it hard to focus on anything, I felt… lost. Maybe it was that I had established some sort of routine and it was getting tedious. I stayed in the bunker, hung out with Jack and tried to entertain myself with some books, music or even more movies. And the only people I ever interacted with were Jack himself and Castiel, because Sam and Dean were usually too busy hunting to stay, and when they came back I was already asleep or they were too exhausted and moody.  
Feeling too apathetic to keep watching any more Marvel movies, I closed my laptop with a sigh. I could feel it, I needed a purpose, something to keep me going. The idea of becoming a hunter and helping Sam and Dean became more and more appealing but… baby steps. I couldn’t just freaking venture into the supernatural and go out there killing monsters left and right, just like that! For now, I needed to go out more often, do something small and trivial. If we had a dog, I could go walk it or something. Aw, a dog! That would be adorable.   
Not knowing what to do to distract myself, I restlessly stood up and walked to the kitchen. Eating out of boredom wasn’t foreign to me, so I thought I might as well get a snack.   
When I made it to the kitchen, I found Jack in the table, sitting before a half-eaten burger. His blue eyes stared off into the distance without really watching anything. Physically, he seemed unharmed and healthy. Mentally… not so much.  
As I walked inside, I cleared my throat to announce my presence. Jack blinked and finally looked over to me in silence.   
“Hey, Jack” I pretended like I didn’t notice his pensive mood. “Whatcha doing here alone?”   
“Um…” Was all he replied, absently fixing his shirt even if he didn’t need to. But I did notice he had changed it from his bloody one.   
“You okay over there?” I showed him a carefree grin as I went to the fridge and looked inside. There wasn’t much to choose from.   
“I… Don’t know…” He hesitantly replied, and when I looked over my shoulder he was frowning and staring off into space again.   
“Can I interest you in a…?” I motioned to the fridge, which only contained a pack of beers and some old pizza. “A beer? Or perhaps a beer?”   
The corners of his lips curved up ever so slightly, but I could tell it was a forced gesture.   
“Okay” I forgot about the food and sat in front of him, leaning my arms on the table. “Is it because of this morning’s… ‘accident’?”   
“I… Aren’t you scared of me?” He watched me carefully, gravely, the frown lingering on his brow. “I… I was deadly wounded and now…”   
Jack looked down to his white shirt, immaculate. It must have been so puzzling and strange to be like that. I didn’t really know he was completely healed, I thought Sam rushed him out to treat him, that he was just lucky. It never occurred to me that his wound was gone like it had never been there on the first place.   
“Well, to be honest it hasn’t quite settled in that you’re part angel yet” I stared at his chest, the spot which was stained with blood a moment ago, where his previous green shirt was teared up. But I forced myself to look up into his eyes to comfort him. “But it’s not like I know how nephilim work, so…”   
“I don’t exactly either… I’m just… I am like an angel, like… Castiel”   
“But you’re not a vessel.., right? You’re human, like me”   
“Yes, but I do have powers”   
“How so? Because of your parents?”   
“My father is…” Jack paused, averting his faze, before he continued. “My father is an archangel”   
“What?! Shut the front door!” I thought his father would be an ordinary angel, again, like Castiel. But an actual archangel?! It didn’t even pass my mind that they existed too! I noticed hesitance in his expression, so I cleared my throat. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten that excited, I just… it’s pretty cool”   
Jack smiled at my enthusiasm, but that fond grin turned into a sad one and eventually into another frown. Did I say something wrong? Dang, what did I say?  
“I can’t control my powers” Jack averted his gaze once more, almost… in shame.   
“That’s okay, we can help you!” I tilted my head, thinking about how busy the rest were. “Well, I will help you!”   
“You will?” His eyes softly fell over me, with that tender and light expression of his, like an innocent little puppy.   
“Well, I’ll try!” I shrugged, but showed him my best smile.  
“Thank you, Brooke” A genuine smile of its own appeared on his lips, a sight that greatly warmed my heart.  
“Tell you what” I briefly patted his hand over the table. “When I come back, we’ll get right into it. Right now, I want to talk to Dean first”   
“About what?” I heard Jack standing up after me when I did.   
“I want out! I’ve been inside for so long watching movies that I understand Dean’s references now”   
“But where are you going?”   
“I don’t know, anywhere really… But alone. And I figured if Dean gives me permission, Sam won’t mind either so…” When I glanced at him, he was frowning, so I explained myself. “I’m getting a bit of a cabin fever”   
“You have a fever?” He looked utterly confused and concerned, which made me chuckle.  
“No, Jack, I mean I need some fresh air” I watched him, realizing how he blushed a bit.  
“Oh” Jack looked embarrassed, so I fondly rubbed his arm to cheer him up. He then locked eyes with me, quite gravely. “Wait, you said you’re going alone?”   
“Yeah! I know it’s still dangerous out there and I mean… With all that happened I was scared to go out before, but… thanks to you and Cas, I realized it isn’t as scary”   
“I’m… really glad we helped you”   
I smiled once more, and he hesitated, but after a few seconds he rubbed my arm as well.   
“Hey, when I get back, okay?” I told him, pointing at him as I took a couple of steps backwards. “Promise!”   
“Okay” He nodded excitedly. “I’ll be waiting for you”   
I dedicated him a friendly wink and jogged towards the hall, about to look for Dean. However, midway to the library I stopped dead in my tracks at the mention of my name.  
“… talk about Brooke” Came Castiel’s deep voice, he was back.  
“What ‘bout her?” Replied Dean, sounding stern and still a bit impatient.  
“You can’t keep her locked up in here, Dean”   
“We don’t keep her locked up in here, Cas. She’s the one who wants to stay, it’s actually her choice”  
“Why? Brooke-”  
“I don’t know, she’s free to go out whenever she feels like it”   
“But you haven’t seen her, Dean” Castiel made a pause in which he let out a vexed sigh. “She tries to hide it, but she’s restless”   
“I know that, but she… She has no idea, she doesn’t understand that-”   
“Then explain it to her!” Their voices were increasingly raising in volume.  
“Sam thinks so too, but he agrees with me on this: we can’t tell her”   
“She needs to know, Dean!!”   
“We have to protect her!!! She’s a freaking target!!!” Dean ended up shouting.  
My heart sped up at his words, only then realizing how grave the situation was.   
“I realize that, but…” Castiel spoke softly again, not raising the volume anymore. “Perhaps you should speak to her”   
“Look, Cas, I know you’re trying to be nice, I do. But we can keep her safe here, because out there? He is looking for her, hell, they all are! And they will hurt her!”   
“Doesn’t she deserve to know about this?”  
“She’s safe here, that’s all that matters. We’ll figure out the rest later”   
“Dean…”   
“I’m not changing my mind, Cas”   
Another pause followed, but this time it was filled with the sound of fluttering before the silence settled once more. Dean mumbled something to himself, but otherwise the quietness reigned the bunker.   
I rested my back against the wall and heavily breathed out, blowing a long tuft of brown hair away from my face. That was quite something… I never realized that couple of vampires were so aggressive! Or… were they some sort of pack? Was that why Dean was saying ‘they’? After Sam and Dean saved me from those vampires, I thought it was over but… apparently it really wasn’t.  
My stomach suddenly turned painfully, and the idea of going outside stopped being as enticing. But I told myself that I needed to do it, to completely overcome my fear. If anything, all the more reason, I couldn’t stay in there forever. Besides, it was still day, I was probably safe… right? Heck, I would never know if I didn’t try! Besides, I could take something to defend myself this time, just in case! I was sure they had plenty of things.  
I began walking, trying to find an excuse I could tell Dean as to why I wanted to go outside. I smiled a little when I remembered how empty the fridge was, it was perfect!  
I eagerly walked into the library room and saw Dean already on his feet. I opened my mouth to speak up when his green eyes fell over me, but he just held one finger up and kept on walking, so I gave him a moment.   
When I moved my glance towards the tables to sit in one of them and wait, I noticed Sam. He had been sitting there the whole time, silent, probably witnessing Cas’ and Dean’s argument too and resigned himself to power through it.   
“Hey, Sam!” I cheerfully said as I sat down in front of him. His eyes were closed and he was pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, so he didn’t notice me and jumped up a bit at the sound of my voice.   
“H-Hey, I didn’t hear you come in” He sighed, putting a book over the table in a tired movement.   
“You okay? You look… upset” I tilted my head and analyzed him, noticing the circles under his eyes.   
“Yeah” He grunted as he stood up and put the book back on the shelf it belonged to. Then he came back and sat down again with a grunt. “I’m just frustrated, it’s no big deal”   
“Yes it is! What’s wrong, why are you frustrated?”   
“It’s just… We’ve been looking for something and can’t seem to find it”   
“Oh, really?” It was odd to think that something was away from their grasp, Sam and Dean –and Castiel! –seemed so capable and badass to me that they were almost like superheroes. Like… Jedis! I… spent too much time with Jack.   
“Yeah, really…” He passed a hand through his long hair. “And Dean… well, when he gets frustrated he gets a bit hotheaded”   
I was about to say ‘I noticed’ but I didn’t want to get in trouble for eavesdropping, so I didn’t say it. Not that I was actually eavesdropping! It… It was an accident! I just heard my name and got curious what they were saying about me…  
It… was a rude thing to say anyway, so I contained myself and nodded instead.  
“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Sam” I smiled at him. “You’re the freaking Winchesters, there’s nothing you can’t do!”   
Sam chuckled, and it was nice to see him smiling again. Besides, he was always so kind to me that I wanted to return the favor how best I could.   
“Thanks, Brooke. I… I appreciate that” There was a brief pause, and Sam’s eyes fell somewhere around my neck. I was wondering what he was looking at when he unexpectedly spoke up again. “That, um… That’s a cool necklace, I hadn’t noticed it before”   
“Oh, thanks!” I held it in my hand, fondly. “I’ve had it since always, really”   
“Where’d you get it?” He curiously asked me.   
“It’s the only thing I have from my parents” I held on to it like always, as tough it could give me the answers I desperately wanted. “Even if I don’t know anything about who they were”   
Sam nodded gravely, and just then came Dean. He seemed to have calmed down a bit. Instead of acknowledging our presence, he just sat back down and carried on tangling with his laptop and drinking his beer.   
“Where’d you go?” Sam told him, seeing as he was ignoring us.   
“To pray, whatcha think, Sammy?” Dean sarcastically replied, somewhat in a mood still.  
“Kick stuff?” I ventured, finally getting him to look at me.   
“Yeah, that” His eyes returned to the laptop as its light illuminated them, making the green in them to stand out.   
“Um… Dean?” He lifted his green eyes from the screen of his laptop. “Can I talk to you for a moment, please?”   
Sam and I exchanged a quick glance, but Dean replied soon enough.  
“Sure” He reluctantly left his beer on the table and turned his attention to me. “What’s up?”   
“I’ve been thinking” With that, he frowned already, but I continued speaking. “I noticed we’re running low on supplies, and I know you and Sam are busy, you know… hunting, and… you’re probably tired too, so…”   
“Spit it out” A smile somehow made its way to his lips, and Sam watched in amusement.   
“I just thought I could go grocery shopping” Dean opened his mouth, so before he could say no I held up a hand to ask him to let me finish. “I could really use some fresh air and some time alone, and I’ll run the errand for you guys! It’s a win-win, right?”   
Dean didn’t say anything at first, he just stared silently, only diverting his glance to his brother. Noticing he wasn’t too convinced, I gave him my backup arguments.   
“I… I’ve been inside this bunker for so long now, I just need-”   
“Okay, Kimmy Schmidt, hold up”   
“What?”   
“It’s dangerous out there, you know that”   
I gawked at him, not really finding a proper answer. Of course I knew it, and I wanted to in spite of that! But I knew that argument wouldn’t work with him.   
“You could give me something to protect myself with” I shrugged and glanced at Sam, hoping he’d back me up. He just remained silent, riding his face from any expression.   
“If something happened to you…” Dean shook his head, closing his eyes in distress at the thought.  
“It… It won’t! Now I know I have to be careful” I showed him an innocent smile.   
Dean paused, visibly clenching his jaw. Nonetheless, I knew he was kind despite his tough and stubborn exterior. And I really needed to go out, clear my head, stretch my legs, get some fresh air! It felt so nice outside the other day…  
“I-I was outside before” I shrugged again, trying to appear casual about it all. “And nothing happened”   
“Because Cas was there to protect you” The corner of his lips suddenly curled up. “Ah, what if I go with you?”  
I figured he would suggest something like that. Him, or Sam or Cas or even Jack coming with me. But I had spent too much time with them lately, no matter how fond I was of them. I needed to distance myself from everyone for a few hours.   
“Dean…” Sam finally intervened, the smile lingering on his lips.   
“I appreciate it, but I need to be alone and clear my head” I half-questioned, hoping he would understand.   
“Yeah, I get it, but…”   
“Pretty please?”   
Dean sighed and paused, but couldn’t resist my puppy eyes. When he looked at Sam for back up, his brother just looked from me to him and nodded his head.   
“Dude, c’mon” Was all his brother told him.  
“Fine, but you be careful” Dean pointed a finger at me. “And you’re bringing me some damn pie”   
Sam stood up with a little smirk, tapping the table as to say ‘mission accomplished’ and disappeared into the other room. I mentally thanked him for having my back.  
“Sure!” I grinned, trying to contain my excitement. “I’ll make a list!”   
I quickly pulled out my phone and began writing down whatever he would tell me.   
“Pie, cereal, milk, chips…” He enumerated, trying to remember what else. “Beer… Wait, how old are you again?”   
“Nineteen?”   
“Forget about the beer then. Uh… Oh, bacon! And eggs…”   
“Anything else?” I typed everything and looked up from my phone to him.  
Dean paused for a moment and then turned around and called out to the house.   
“Sammy!” He waited, and soon came a muffled ‘what’ from somewhere within the bunker. “So you want anything?”   
“Some fruit!” Came Sam’s voice, making me chuckle.   
“What a nerd” Dean rolled his eyes and then smiled at me.   
“Hey, Sam!” I called out, unable to contain a big smile. “Do you want some hair gel or conditioner? With that lustrous hair, I’m sure you ran out!”   
Sam actually let out a loud guffaw that echoed around the bunker, he probably wasn’t expecting that. Happy with the result, I smiled widely and so did Dean.  
“What else?” I reviewed the list on my phone including all of those things.   
“I dunno, whatever you think we need” He averted his gaze, apparently in deep thought, and snapped his fingers in inspiration. “Maybe some chocolate for Jack? Kid has a sweet tooth”   
“Okay, got it!”   
“Don’t take too long, you hear?” Without me even asking, Dean pulled out his wallet and handed me some money. “Or I will send a rescue team”   
I chuckled, even if he seemed serious. Knowing Dean, he could be completely serious about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he appeared out of nowhere in a rescue mission.  
“I won’t” To thank him, I kissed him on the cheek and made a beeline for the door. “Thanks, Dean!”   
“Wait!” Dean rolled his eyes and pulled something out of his pockets as he approached me, lifting my hands to put those objects in them. One was a switchblade and the other was a pepper spray.   
“You just carry that all the time?” I said as I saved them in my pocket.   
“Yeah, don’t you?” He made me chuckle, and he grinned a little too.   
I nodded and headed for the hall, looking forward to an exhilarating walk.  
“Wait” He said as I jogged over the map table room and stepped over the first step of the stairs.  
“Dean!!” I whined, quickly turning to him.   
“Fine, go” He motioned with his hand, urging me to leave already.  
“I’ll be fine” That said, I continued to run up the stairs.  
“Call if you need anything!” He exclaimed, just as I left the bunker.   
I deeply breathed in the fresh air, looking up into the clear sky and closing my eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun caressing my skin. Then I smiled to myself and took the first step. It was my first time going out alone since the attack. It could seem like something silly to be excited about and to feel proud of, but it was a big deal to me.


End file.
